


Resident Evil- Dark Life

by SV_Writer



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Body Horror, Forced Pregnancy, Gen, Horror, Hyper Pregnancy, Other, Pregnancy, Psychological Horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-17
Updated: 2020-01-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:07:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22286860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SV_Writer/pseuds/SV_Writer
Summary: A Fetish-Retelling of Resident Evil 2 that answers the question, "What if Claire Redfield was impregnated with weird monster babies before she entered Raccoon City?"
Comments: 1
Kudos: 26





	Resident Evil- Dark Life

**Author's Note:**

> This story was a commission by King81992 on DA.  
> Its a Resident Evil story, so you should prolly be aware that there's gore, violence and stuff. Plus there's preggo stuff too.

The rain was cold and sharp on Claire’s skin. The night sky felt haunting and evil around her; Not a single star stood out in the sky. The moon was obscured in Earth’s shadow; A natural occurrence, but Claire couldn’t help but feel something strange was afoot.

At the same time, the deep beat of her motorcycle’s engine was soothing to her ears as she drove into the darkness. It was like a gentle music that helped her feel calm, despite the pouring rain and the visual abyss around her.

_I should have tried to come during the day…_

When she heard that her brother, Chris Redfield, who had been missing for several months, was in Raccoon city, she had dropped everything to go and check it out, but right now… She cursed her own impatience, but she didn’t particularly regret it until she glanced down at the glowing dials on the front of her chopper and clicked her tongue angrily when she noticed the fuel gauge was not in a particularly good position.

_Ah, please. I don’t wanna push this thing in the rain… Come on…_

Her prayers were answered in a few short minutes with the glowing neon signs of a gas station gradually stood out against the background of night. She smiled and urged her bike towards the side of the road, coming to halt directly in front one of the pumps. 

The station looked empty and dim.

Beyond the neon signs, there were no lights on at the station; a fact that made Claire frown. She pushed her bike to the side before she noticed a police cruiser sitting in front of the cashier’s booth. A single door was open, and no one was inside the car.

_…Weird…_

She walked inside the Station carefully, “Hello?”

Silence was the only thing to respond to her inquiry.

“Uh… Is anyone there? I need to fill up my bike?”

Once again, no one responded to her and she found herself growing irritated. She took a few steps inside and sighed, “Why the hell are your lights on, if no one is here?”

A sharp clatter of metal and cardboard made her jump and glance around wildly. Her eyes fell on the door to the back storeroom and she found herself hesitating.

_Are they in trouble?_

It felt possible… but something also felt off.

Something felt dangerous.

She swallowed, pulled a flashlight from her pocket and carefully made her way over to the storeroom, “Hello? Who’s in there? Are you hurt? Do you need help?” the stream of words emerging from her mouth were calming her down slightly, but she still couldn’t shake that feeling of dread and uncertainty.

She felt her hand touch the cold metal doorknob.

_Don’t turn it… Don’t turn it…_

She swallowed and twisted her hand and let the door swing open.

It was a strange sight; A short man, with pale blonde hair. He was wearing a lab coat and he was on his hands and knees, groaning softly. Around his feet was a small puddle of foul-smelling water and it made Claire’s nose wrinkle with disgust.

_Sewage?_

She glanced around and noticed a small hole in the floor behind him; Some connection to the sewage system, most likely… He must have come up through there. From his position, he might have been hurt down there.

Claire felt herself relax as she walked over to the man, crouching beside him, “H-Hey. Are you… Are you okay?”

The man only responded with a groan.

_I’ll take that as a no…_ “Are you hurt?”

Another groan; Claire was beginning to see that he wasn’t in a chatty mood.

“You… Just stay here. I’ll see if I can call an ambulance.”

She quickly rushed towards the cashier’s booth and grabbed the landline that was on the desk, dialling 911 and placing the phone by her ear.

The only sound was a dial-tone.

_Maybe the rain knocked out something?_ She pressed the buttons again and waited, but once again, only the dial-tone rang in her ears.

_Damn it…_ She slammed the phone back down in anger, before taking a few steps back and then slipping. She cried out as she hit the floor painfully, feeling her head spin from the impact.

_What the hell?_ She pushed her hand against the ground to stabilize her, only to feel something thick and damp cover it.

_Hm?_

She aimed her light to the floor and stared at the bright red liquid and blinked a few times. _What’s this?_

A loud moan interrupted her thoughts and she quickly twisted towards the sound; Her eyes widened at the sight of a shambling grey figure. It was in the shape of a human, but it clearly stood out as something different. Its eyes were white and lifeless, and its skin was sallow and hard. Its mouth hung agape, as it moaned and groaned. It moved slowly, as if it didn’t remember how to, but it was clearly focused on her.

Claire felt her body tense as she scrambled back in panic, a cold sweat breaking out over her body. _What the fuck is that thing?!_

Instinct told her that it was dangerous, and she had to kill it; She needed a weapon. She needed something to attack it with.

_The police car… If I’m lucky, I could get a weapon from it…_

Claire carefully moved around the zombie; She wished it wasn’t standing in front of the door, but its slow speed made it less of a threat-

Then a massive claw burst through the chest of the zombie.

Claire blinked a few times.

There was undoubtably, a giant claw sticking out of the zombie’s chest.

She watched the fingers on the claw flex slightly before pulling back out and then shoving back forward through the head of zombie, sending large bloody chunks all over the room.

The sudden death made her stumble back in shock, as the man walked in; He was different now. His body was larger and more muscular. His shirt had torn open, and his lab coat was bulging over his rippling muscles. But the most jarring change was his right hand; It was several times the size of a normal arm, with darkened skin. His hand was tipped with claws and his shoulder bulged with a massive orange eye that sent chills down Claire’s spine.

_Aw, fuck…_

The man let out a soft groan, as his eyes fell over Claire before stepping towards her.

_No, no, no!_

Claire broke into a sprint, trying to slip past him, only for his massive, inhuman limb to grab her by the hem of her jacket and yank her back, smacking her into a wall.

She gagged violent, the wind knocked out over her as she fell to her knees, before coughing painfully as she tried to regain a sense of balance. The Man’s sudden strength was abnormal and terrifying. She could sense him standing above her, but her body hurt too much for her to even look up, much less try to run away again.

A squeak escaped her throat, as the massive claw gripped her by the neck and lifted her up into the air slowly. Her light clattered onto the ground as she kicked and punched him the best she could, but her body was still struggling from that massive blow and his grip only tightened around her neck when she struggled.

She could see that massive eye examining her body with some strange lecherous desire; the Man’s face seemed more in agony than anything else, as he let out is guttural sounds before roaring like an animal.

Claire’s eyes widened in pain, as the man’s grip tightened further. She couldn’t breathe. She could feel that arm doing something. Diving into her body. Touching her insides in the worst ways…

She felt her mind slowly blanking as her eyes rolled back. The last thought she had before the darkness rolled over her was that she could feel something insider her body.

Something… changing inside her.

*

Claire gasped harshly, sucking in air as her mind snapped back to reality in seconds.

She quickly pushed off the ground, when memories of recent events stood out in her mind, making her look around wildly; her heart beating with terror.

…

Only silence surrounded her.

She blinked a few times before fumbling on the ground for her light; She found it right next to her and it gave her an uncertain flicker as it started before glowing bright and strong.

The first thing she saw was the zombie corpse.

_It… It wasn’t a dream…_

She felt a strange sense of nausea in her belly as she leaned against the counter. She had almost been killed by that Man… No, that Monster…

She gripped her stomach as she fell to her knees and gagged, letting a stream of vomit spill from her lips. She continued to gag painfully for a few seconds, until her stomach had emptied everything it held, leaving her feeling weak at the knees and shivering.

_I… I almost died…_

She shook her head before rising to her feet; She felt shaky, but she didn’t fall. She paused for a second before spitting in an attempt to get the flavour of vomit out of her mouth. There was still a sense of nausea, but it was more at the back of her mind.

Her stomach was still doing flip-flops, so she pressed her hand against it before carefully walking around the corpse, back out of the station. She came to a brief halt when she saw the bodies of two people; Police officers. Like the zombie, their heads had been crushed. Their skin looked slightly dry, but Claire had no way of finding out if they had been zombies, nor did she have the desire to.

The rain had stopped, but it was still dark out. The police car was still in its place and there was no sign that the Monster was outside.

Claire ignored her bike and made her way over to the car; She glanced inside, inspecting it for a few moments and saw two things that pleased her; Keys in the ignition and a holstered gun in the glove box.

She quickly slid into the driver’s seat and turned the keys softly and listened to the car purr as it came alive. She grinned and quickly shifted the gears and backed out, before driving to the city.

_Have to get to the police; they might not believe me about the monster, but there are still 3 bodies there… Something messed up is going on there…_

She continued to floor the accelerator, driving faster and faster. She wanted to get as far away from there as possible. She felt a desperate sensation inside her body and… and…

Claire blinked, pressing her hand against her stomach; that wasn’t a desperate sensation. That was just hunger. She loosened the pressure on the accelerator, coming to a more gradual pace as she struggled to calm down.

“Its okay… Its okay! You’re alive and you’re fine. The monster nearly killed you, but you’re alive and you’re hungry. You’re super hungry and that’s okay! You puked up everything you ate before, so it makes sense! You’ll eat as soon as you meet the police, or maybe you’ll stop at a grocery store or maybe you’ll look in this car…” She quickly clicked open the glove compartment, “And you’re gonna see that box of donuts!”

She jammed down on the brakes and grabbed the small box of donuts; It felt like a weird stereotype, but she wasn’t about to complain. The box held only two, sugary donuts which Claire promptly devoured in seconds.

She felt her heart calm down as she slumped in the seat, placing both her hands over her stomach; She felt so much better with something inside her belly…

A soft gurgle reverberated in her ears and she frowned.

_I’m hungrier than I thought…_

She tossed the box aside and sat up straight before driving forward again.

_Okay… Find something else to eat and then… Then, we’re gonna met with the police._

*

Claire was relatively happy that among the first buildings she saw as she entered Raccoon City, one of them was explicitly marked, “Emmy’s Diner”. There were no lights on, but she could see the signs that said “Open” and “24 X 7” and she didn’t even hesitate.

She took the gun from the car and clipped it to her belt and shoved an extra magazine into her pocket before going inside; She wasn’t sure why, but it felt like a better choice than to leave it behind.

Like the Gas Station, the Diner was empty and devoid of people despite its signs. The fact that it was in the city, unlike the Station made it even more unnerving.

She held the gun in front of her as she walked, but her pace was uneven; Her brother would have been rather upset to see her put her hunger over her training, but she couldn’t help it.

Without calling out or waiting, Claire made her way into the back of the diner and into the kitchen, the growling in her stomach guiding her movements.

There was a greasy warmth from the kitchen; A sign of frequent and recent use. Even if there was no one inside, that wasn’t the case until a short while back; Claire could sense it.

_Odd…_

She wondered where the owners were. She’d have preferred to ask them to make something for her, but since they weren’t around…

The walk-in refrigerator was a treasure trove of various interesting delights. She glanced at the block of cheese and picked it up gingerly, taking in its strong scent before biting a huge chunk out of it.

_Odd…_

Claire hadn’t been a big fan of strong cheeses; At the very least, she didn’t enjoy eating massive chunks of it, but right now, it felt so good in her mouth; Smooth and creamy, with a delicate nutty flavour to it and it slide down her throat like velvet.

She continued to bite into the cheese, tearing off chunk after chunk before her nose was tickled by another scent, that inspired her to drop the cheese and hop back into the kitchen.

That crisp, meaty smell… Bacon. Sitting in the pan it had just been fried in. It was cold, after being left out, but the bacon was still crisp and it tasted good and… and salty.

A bit too salty.

Sweet… Water… Grabbing the rest of the bacon from the pan, she dashed back into the fridge, and scanned the shelves for a few brief seconds before her eyes feel on a gallon-jug of orange juice. It didn’t even look opened. Perfect.

The lid came off with a pleasingly soft crack before she took a large swig, feeling the cool, pulpy liquid run down her throat and into her belly that was beginning to get a delicate curve. She shoved another strip of bacon into her mouth, chewing it ravenously before going back to the juice. Then the bacon. Then the juice. Back and forth until she was out of bacon.

_More…_

Her stomach growled softly, and she massaged it with her free hand, accidentally wiping the grease on her shirt, but she didn’t feel particularly bothered by it. She stifled a soft belch before drinking more of the juice.

_God… I’m so hungry…_

She needed more. She continued to pick out things from the fridge. A jar of pickles. Frozen waffles. Muffins. A log of salami. Corn bread. Onion rings. Plain onions. Tomatoes. Lettuce. Chocolate milk. Everything. She couldn’t stop herself.

Her belly felt like some bottomless pit, that just pulled everything in. It was like her body had been starving for months and this was her first time eating after that. It felt so good.

That was until it became too much.

It was after she had devoured almost half a tub of vanilla ice-cream. She felt her body just… stop. A terribly sick sensation washed over her and she found herself collapsing on the ground, in a groaning heap, struggling to hold the food in her belly. Terrible waves of nausea were demanding that she vomit everything she had just eaten, but through some terrible miracle, she managed to fight through it.

_Water… I need water…_

Stumbling weakly, she shoved her head under a tap and drank the cool water; It was like a cool massage flowing through her body and soothing her aching belly. She placed her hand over belly without looking and winced at the small, gentle curve. She had definitely eaten too much… It hurt a lot…

Dizzily, Claire pushed away from the sink and tried to steady herself. _Okay… That’s good. Don’t fall… Don’t fall…_

A groan interrupted her thoughts.

Claire frowned. The groan hadn’t come from her. She glanced up and stared at the Zombies that was slowly shuffling into the diner.

_Ah. Forgot to lock the door…_

She pulled the gun from its holster and pointed it at the zombies. They were in the diner-area, whie she was in the kitchen. They weren’t far away. She could easily take them out. She could feel her body swaying slightly from the additional weight in her belly, but it wasn’t much. If anything, the real problem was her feet.

_Fuck, they hurt…_ _Shouldn’t have run around for the food like an idiot…_

She cocked the gun and squeezed the trigger. She watched the bullet hit one zombie, pass through its shoulder and do nothing. The Zombie continued to groan, but now they all turned towards her.

_Fuck. The sound._

She took aim again, this time at the head and pulled again. She watched the bullet pass through its head, blowing it to pieces causing the zombie to fall like a marionette whose strings were cut.

_Perfect…_

She shot again. And again. And again. Then she stopped.

Too much. It took too much to put down these bastards. Some of them seemed tougher than others and she didn’t have too much ammo. That wasn’t good. She’d need something stronger to take down these freaks.

She turned around and went for the backdoor, gritting her teeth in pain. Her feet were killing her as she tried to move. It was like someone was stabbing her in the soles of her feet.

_Shit! Fucking shit! Is there something in my shoes?_

She burst through the back into an alleyway and stared in horror at the Zombies that were just wandering stupidly. She raised her gun and began to fire at their heads for a few seconds before the gun clicked empty. Dropping the magazine, she shoved in the spare tried to head out of the alley, away from the zombies.

Then a car stopped in front of the alley. A police car.

A young man opened the window and began to fire at the Zombie behind her, “Get in!”

She didn’t even question him. She just listened, rushing around and sliding into the passenger seat, as he rolled up his window and sped away from the Diner.

*

“What’s your name?”

“C… Claire”

The Man nodded, “Claire… I’m Leon. I’m a cop here… Well, a Rookie, but still.”

Claire nodded at his words, “Glad to see you… What’s going on here?”

“Fuck if I know! All I know is that I’m supposed to start working today; I end up comin’ late and there are these freaks wandering around like some retarded twits… who’re also interested in eating people.”

“Don’t forget near impossible to kill…” Claire raised her gun and tapped it to emphasize her point.

“Yeah; What sort of thing can survive half-a-dozen bullets to the belly? Shit…” Leon shook his head slightly, “Well, we should be in a better condition once we reach the precinct.”

“Precinct?”

Leon nodded, “Yeah. Hopefully, my buddies have keep these freaks out of the station. There might even be other survivors there. Heck, even if there’s no one there, we can at least arm up better.”

Claire nodded as a slight grin emerged on her face; He was right. Even if there was no one, having better weapons and more ammunition would go a long way to helping them survive this hell-hole…

“Hey, think there’ll be a bite to eat there?”

“What?”

“Food” Claire mimed eating, “Y’know?”

“Uh… I guess? I mean, don’t expect the Ritz or anything-”

Claire shook her head, “Don’t care about that; I’m just really fucking hungry…”

Leon frowned, “You came out of a Diner… Were you eating in there too?”

She nodded slightly, “Uh-huh. Ever since I came to this bloody town, I’ve been ravenous… I can’t place it, but…” She placed her hand over her stomach and massaged it softly, “I’m just so hungry…”

“Kinda round, ain’t ya?”

“What?”

Leon chuckled, “Sorry to mention it, but since you’re talking about eating and all, I couldn’t help but notice it. Your belly; Its kinda round in’it?”

“It… Enh…” Claire winced, gripping her stomach softly, “Urg…”

“Claire? You okay?”

“Ah… Ah!!”

She felt a cold sweat break out on her face before she slammed her hands down by her side and gritted her teeth; She felt her belly roll several times over before a pressure began to build inside her. A terrible pressure. It felt solid and cold, like it was going to tear through her body.

She didn’t want that. She swallowed, feeling her roll back into her head. Leon’s voice was faint and light on the edge of her mind. She didn’t know what he was saying. Her only focus was the pressure. She needed to find a way to stop it from ripping her open.

Then she blinked.

She gripped her belly and gasped as the pressure expanded outward, and her skin curved under her palms, as it stretched outward gently.

Claire gasped, as air rushed into her lungs and her body began to relax slightly before glancing down at her stomach. A smooth, blemish-less curve, only barely stretching her shirt, contained snuggly under the cloth. She could feel the solidness to it; She could feel the solidness move slightly.

There was something inside her.

She stared for a few seconds before glancing in Leon’s direction in an attempt to freak out before noticing his bug-eyed gaze focused on her stomach, his mouth open in disbelief.

She frowned. Then she screamed, “THE ROAD!!”

Leon blinked, “Whu?”

He looked up and then jammed on the brakes. The car screeched before crashing into a truck that had almost strategically been placed in the middle of the road., metal screaming against more metal. Claire winced, raising her arms to protect her face as glass and shrapnel flew around as she felt her insides jump around from the inertia.

And then as fast it had begun, it had stopped.

Claire let out a soft groan, rubbed her head before reaching for the door and watching it swing on its hinges, with a loud creak. She stared out into the dark street silently before wincing at the heat that was beginning to burn her legs.

Heat…

She turned forward and stared at the fire.

_Ah…_

She pulled her legs, out from the twisted metal that had only barely trapped her before slipping and falling out of the car with a soft cry.

“Claire!”

Her ears perked at the sound of Leon’s voice, but she struggled to focus, her head still spinning from the impact.

“Claire, are you okay? Can you hear me?”

“Uhh… I think so…”

“Oh, thank god… Claire, I can’t get across to you! The fire… I think the truck’s gonna burst! Get away from there and get to the Station! I’ll find you there!”

Claire nodded softly, as she pushed to her feet. She didn’t bother responding to Leon’s words; Her mind was too focused on other things; Her sudden belly growth. The zombies that were slow beginning to surround her. Getting to the police station.

She fumbled at her side for her gun but felt nothing. Cursing her luck, she managed to push off the ground and away from the gathering zombies. No gun and a fucking massive belly. She cradled her stomach as she tried to run, but only succeeded in doing an awkward gallop, forcing her legs to spread wider than normal as she moved. It wasn’t comfortable, but she was able to maintain a decent pace ahead of the zombies.

_Get to the station… Station…_

She felt any sense of hope flow out of her, when the moans of the zombies began getting louder and louder; She could tell. They weren’t getting closer. Their numbers were growing.

_Oh god. I’m going to end up like fucking ground beef._

She didn’t want die. She couldn’t die. Not here. She still had to find her brother. She had to get back. She had… She had to… protect herself… Or something like that. Claire felt her lips twist into a confused frown at the unfamiliar emotions building inside her chest. She felt her hands grip her belly tighter, feeling a warm comfort that mentally rejuvenated her.

_Keep moving… Find something…_

She couldn’t give up. She had to keep fighting.

_Something…_

Claire knew she could survive this. She knew… She had the training. She just needed…

_Something…_

A smile burst upon her face as the neon sign of the _Kendo Gun Store_ flashed before her. She struggled to contain her joy as she ran into the door, only for her body to bounce off it.

_Locked…_

She raised her leg to kick it, only to nearly fall back. Her belly was forcing her centre of gravity off; She hadn’t overeaten to this degree when she was training after all…

_Overeating_ …

Claire frowned. Somehow, that didn’t feel right.

She kicked the door and watched it smash open before she dove inside, before slamming it back and falling against it, holding it shut. She felt her chest heave painfully, as she struggled to catch her breath. Her muscles hurt, like they had never been used before. She covered her mouth and listened for the zombies; She could hear the moans outside, but they weren’t getting any closer. She waited for a few more minutes, but there was no change.

Slowly, she rose up to her feet and examined the room for a few seconds before slowly and silently pushing a table and several small chairs against the door. She knew that they wouldn’t be held back by that, but a few seconds of running time wouldn’t hurt her.

_Now… Guns…_

She examined the magazine in her pocket before examining the hand-guns, finding one that it fit inside before moving onto examine the rest of the store.

_…No knives… Wish they had a knife…_

Even without knives, the store had a very respectable array of weaponry. Along with the hand-gun, Claire settled on a shotgun with plenty of shells and even picking out a small hip pouch to store the extra ammo.

_That should increase my inventory…_

Slinging the shotgun over her shoulder, and clipping the gun back onto her belt, Claire started towards the backdoor before stopping. She felt her body loosen as the stress and terror of the preceding events dawned over her and she collapsed into an exhausted, trembling heap onto the floor.

Her body hurt so much… Her feel felt swollen… Her body felt heavy. Her breasts felt like they were being trapped in her clothes and she felt so, so hungry… She felt her hands wrap around her shoulders and belly as she shivered softly.

_You’re alive… You’re fine… You can do this… You can…_

She felt that warmth from her belly again; It was mixed with something else, but there was something powerful about that warmth. Something that made her feel different. That solidity. The shape… It didn’t feel as mundane as…

_Overeating…_

No… No, this didn’t feel like she had overeaten… This was… She had heard other women talk about this on a few occasions…

_Isn’t this… Isn’t this… what being pregnant is supposed to be like?_

*

Claire pumped the shotgun and watched a Zombie collapse as its head burst open. She grinned dumbly at the power of her new toy before rushing forward to the station.

It had taken the better part of an hour, but she finally made it to the station. She had focused on moving silently and quickly, avoiding fighting where she could; A feat made no easier with her pregnant belly.

_Pregnant…_

It felt odd to say, let alone think. She was pregnant. Somehow, somewhere, she, Claire Redfield, had gotten knocked up and now her belly was growing. She was unbearably hungry and her feet hurt a lot. Sometimes her belly grew rapidly without notice. The rest of the time it grew, slowly and gently.

She paused. What the fuck was she thinking? She wasn’t pregnant. She couldn’t be. This was some weird freaky shit. Pregnancies didn’t happen in hours and they certainly don’t happen when you don’t have sex.

Claire sighed and rubbed her belly softly, as she pushed the station door open. There was no point in complaining. She was pregnant in this weird, supernatural way. She was fighting zombies. Nothing made sense anymore, and she just had to accept it, until she got out of the city.

_…Leon should be here… Or at least be on his way, if he isn’t dead…_

A sudden burst of pain in her belly brought her thoughts away from Leon, back to the present. She winced and gripped her belly before feeling the same stab of pain. It wasn’t really a stab, so much as a soft blow…

Or a kick…

She clicked her tongue in amusement. _Damn baby… Chill out…_

As unnatural as her condition seemed, she couldn’t help but feel a warm attachment to it. It made her feel fuller in a way. Ever since her brother had up and left, there had been a slight emptiness in her life. The idea of having a child… It filled that void in a unique way and it made her feel stronger. Maybe even a bit excited…

_Wait. Don’t lose focus right now. Lose focus and you’re dead… And the baby’s dead too…_

She rubbed her forehead softly before locking the door behind her, as quietly as she could. As soon as she felt the gentle click, she sighed and fell back against a wall, caressing her belly softly. It was growing at a strange and unnatural pace; That much had been clear from that sudden growth-spurt in the car. But she hadn’t expected her gravidness to appear as if she was full-term within a few hours.

Her belly was the least of her problems, or rather, it was the cause of the bigger issues. She hadn’t expected the weight to drag on her so painfully. Her back and shoulders felt sore. Her feet felt sore and the cravings… The hunger cravings were driving her crazy.

_…At least I don’t have to use the bathroom… I thought pregnant women had to go to the bathroom at lot…_

She glanced around before pushing off the wall and lifting her gun slighty… Leon said he’d be coming here…

“Leon?”

Claire waited for a few seconds before speaking up slightly louder, “Leon? Are you there? Is anyone there?”

The only response to her question was a soft echo.

_No one… Nothing…_

It was a strange but sad comfort, but Claire didn’t lower her gun. The Zombies may have been attracted to sound, but its possible they could be deeper in the station, where they couldn’t hear her. It was possible Leon was also hiding deeper… Or he could still be on his way…

_Or he might be…_

She shook her head quickly. Realism was pragmatic, but she’d rather not be focused on worst-case scenarios at the moment.

_I should look for survivors, if there are any… And wasn’t Chris supposed to be working with law enforcement or something? Special Tactics or something like that?_

She felt a sudden boost of energy. If she could find a clue to her brother’s whereabouts here, then it would be more than a bonus.

Claire racked her brains as she slowly inspected the various rooms that were located around the lobby for people and zombies. Where would it be likely for people to hide? Where could she find information on her brother?

_Archives? Locker room? Damn it, I should’ve asked about his job more… Well, he was a bit secretive about the entire thing…_

She sighed softly before muttering, “Gotta search this entire place, while pregnant… Yay…” She glanced down at her belly and patted it softly, “You better not bother me too much, bub.”

*

The condition of the station seemed to get worse, as she moved deeper into the building. While the lobby, just seemed a bit unkempt, the inner halls seemed to be half-broken and cracked. Furniture was broken, papers were strewn everywhere, and almost everything seemed to have dried blood-stains.

The blood stains didn’t really concern Claire. She had another problem.

“Damn it, Leon… You said, there’d be food here somewhere…”

She pushed open another door and tried the light switch in vain before raising her flashlight and quickly inspecting the room before walking out.

There didn’t seem to be much in this station. No people, no weapons, no food…

Yet, Claire couldn’t shake that feeling off oddness, like there was something more to this entire place.

_Damn it… I think I’m getting paranoid…_

She wiped the sweat from her head before continuing through the hall. The darkness, the atmosphere… It was all getting so oppressive. She was jumping at shadows, seeing things were there weren’t things…

A soft clicking made her freeze and tense up.

_God damn it! Stop-_

Then the clicking came again.

_Oh…_

Then she heard the soft sound, like a hiss and a growl. Then a soft dripping. She quickly flashed her light around failing to spot the source of the noise.

_Where? Where??_

Then the clicking came closer. Claire focused on the sound as it hit before lifting her light up to the ceiling and stifling a scream.

A strange skinless freak. She could see its bright muscles glistening in the sudden glow of light. Its face was pure disgust; No eyes and an overly wide mouth, laced with sharp teeth with a long tongue that darted in and out rapidly. It had a strange animalistic quality to it, as it moved and twitched, as if trying to sense something.

_Fucking shit, what is that?_

Claire took a step back and felt the wooden floor squeak softly beneath her feet.

The freakish thing froze and turned towards her.

Claire struggled to hold back a scream, as it slowly pulled its claws out of the ceiling and behind to climb onto the wall, moving towards the floor in a deliberately menacing form. She watched it, slowly tear at the wall, at it moved down; Its tongue darting around, stabbing and licking at the air randomly.

_Fuck… It hears…_

She watched its limbs touch the floor and slowly move in her direction. She wanted to wave it away; tell it to go in another direction or something. Her eyes glanced down at the gun in her hand; She could probably get a shot off. But instinct screamed at her; One shot wouldn’t be enough. And in her condition… She wondered if she’d be able to get a second one.

_Move… Quietly…_

She carefully lifted her foot and moved it a few inches, silently. The thing didn’t react, its head was almost looking in a different direction.

_Okay…_

Claire swallowed silently; She’d have to move forward. The thing was moving down the way she came. If she went back, it’d just be following her and she had no desire to be near this thing more than she had to.

_I had to get past it._

She raised her leg again, and moved it a few inches forward; Once again, the thing didn’t react.

Left leg…

Right leg…

Left leg…

Right…

Left…

Righ-

Claire’s eyes bulged as she felt movement within her womb. A soft, but jarring kick. She felt her leg slip and make a soft _scritch_.

The Thing froze and turned towards her.

_Oh, no. Oh no, no, no, no…_

She raised the gun and prepared to let out a shot. The Thing didn’t move, but its tongue began to dart towards the various bits of wall near her. She watched it stab at and lick the various things, each time getting closer and closer to her.

She prepared to pull the trigger, but then a soft voice echoed in her head and she felt her legs move on their own, lifting up gently and pulling her forward silently, away from the Licking Thing.

The tongue darted forward and licked at the place she had been standing a few seconds before and Claire held her breath.

The Licking Thing waited for a few second before continuing down the hall, slowly.

Claire felt as if time had been restarted for herself, as she moved the opposite direction, as far from that monster.

She placed on hand over her belly and tapped it angrily. _Don’t make me fucking slip like that again…_ Glancing back, she watched the Licking Thing vanish into the darkness.

_Damn it… That wasn’t a fucking zombie… What’s going on here?_

*

Claire groaned as she stared at the small diary. She rubbed her belly softly, “Talk about fucking terrible luck…”

Her brother wasn’t here.

Rather, he wasn’t here anymore.

After getting past the Licker (The name felt fitting for that ugly thing), Claire had managed to find a room for a branch of the police of Raccoon City; S.T.A.R.S. or the Special Tactics and Rescue Service. The name was just what she needed, to recall that it was the branch her brother worked in.

The room was a relatively small; It would probably only hold about 10 or 12 people easily and the desks that covered the room were themselves covered in paperwork. It took her nearly half-an-hour to find her brother’s desk, but thankfully his diary was simply shoved into a drawer.

Claire remember that her brother always kept detailed dairies about his day-to-day activities and plans; It had always been amusing to read when they were younger but this diary made her pretty depressed.

“Damn it, Chris… Couldn’t you tell me you were going to Europe instead of letting me worry… You dumb twit…”

She tossed the Diary back into desk and hefted her gun silently. She hadn’t found any survivors, her brother or Leon.

She glanced at her belly, “I wonder if you’re the only positive of this fucking nightmare or if you’re another reason I should try to wake up…”

It looked slightly bigger than before; It was clearly still growing. It wasn’t natural, but she couldn’t bring herself to hate it. It did worry her a bit, but there was still an underlying sense of care that she felt for the unborn children inside her. She sighed and shook her head, “I need to get out of here…”

She stepped out of the S.T.A.R.S room and glanced to the side and blinked. Then she blinked again.

There was a little girl crouching at the ventilation shaft, carefully but quickly removing the screws that held the grate in place.

Claire slowly walked towards her, “H-Hey, little girl?”

The Girl jumped at Claire’s voice, staring at her in confusion and then panic, “Lady, you need to get away, they’re coming!”

_They…_

Claire looked up and stared at the small horde of shambling Zombies.

_Fuck._

She lifted her gun and waved towards the girl, “Get inside and hide! I’ll get them!”

The Girl hesitated, glancing between Claire and the Zombies before nodding and diving into the Ventilation shaft as Claire began to fire at the horde.

She tried to be careful, but it was hard to maintain her balance with the massive belly that she gotten in mere hours. Her shots, whiled aimed at their heads, seemed to drift down, hitting the Zombies in the shoulders and in the chest. They were definitely slowed by the shots, but they weren’t falling.

_Damn it…_

She began move back down the hall, still shooting before the shotgun clicked empty. She let it dangle by her side, choosing to pull out her hand-gun instead of reloading it. The smaller gun felt easier to wield in her present condition.

Bullets tore through rotting flesh, but they were still getting closer. Panic began to grip Claire. She wanted to run. She had to get somewhere safe. Her babies… Herself… Her mind was a jumble of confused thoughts. She had to… She had to…

“Claire!”

She turned at the sound of name being called and watched Leon rush towards her, with his gun held up. His hand was steady as he pulled the trigger, let loose a volley of bullets, tearing through the heads of the Zombies reducing them to a pile of literal corpses in seconds.

_Oh…_

He turned towards her, “Boy, I’m glad to see you managed to get here safely…” His eyes drifted low at her belly, “Uh… You’re… Bigger.”

She nodded absently before stepping over the dead zombies and towards the ventilation shaft.

“Claire?”

“There… There was a girl…”

Leon frowned, “A girl?”

She nodded and glanced at the shaft, “Little girl? Are you in there?”

No one responded; She hunkered down awkwardly and peeking into the shaft; No one was there…

“Claire, we have to get out-”

Claire glanced at him in horror, “What are you talking about? There’s… There’s a girl here! We have to find her! She could die and…” She felt tears well up in her eyes, “That’d… That’d be…”

“Claire?”

She blinked and wiped her eyes, “I… I’m sorry… I don’t know why…”

_Fuck… I’m getting mood swings now?_ She placed one hand on her back and the other over her belly; _You’re gonna drive me insane…_

Leon was silent for a few seconds before he nodded, “Okay. We’ll look for her.”

Claire blinked, “We will?”

He nodded, “I’m a cop. I can’t just leave a girl in a fucked up hellscape like this.”

“You better not cuss in front of her.”

“Uh…”

She chuckled softly, wiping her face, “I’m sorry about that.”

“’S okay.”

She cleared her throat softly, “We… Should split up…”

Leon frowned, “In your condition?”

Claire nodded, “We need to find her. If you find her … Don’t look for me. Just get her out.”

“Claire-”

She shook her head, “Don’t worry about me…”

“Claire, don’t do anything crazy.”

She frowned, “Why would you think that?”

He glanced at her, his eyes darting up and down, as he examined her body and sighed, “No reason…”

*

“Little girl?”

Claire felt her voice echo through the hollow halls of the police precinct without a response. She closed her eyes and lowered her weapon before leaning against a wall silently.

Her body felt heavy. Not just her stomach, which had bloated and ballooned outward at a slow consistent pace. She was quite sure, she was carrying triplets at this point and that she’d have to give birth soon. It was disconcerting to say the least. She massaged her belly softly, feeling the coldness of her skin, with a taut ripeness that matched the delicate skin of a peach.

Disconcerting… and subtly pleasing.

Claire felt odd; She didn’t realize how much she internally accepted this strange pregnancy. It made her feel good in a way she hadn’t for such a long time. It wasn’t like she was looking forward to motherhood or any of that cliché crap. It just felt nice…

Then she winced softly. She felt guilty for focusing on herself when that little girl was hiding somewhere, completely terrified… It felt like it was getting harder to stay focused and calm…

She pushed off the wall and glanced through an open door, into a ruined room, “Little girl?”

Once more, no one responded and Claire continued forward, pausing every now and then to call out to the girl or to examine another room.

_I wonder if me and Leon should’ve stuck together…_

She rubbed her head; Her emotions were running wild against her will. She needed to stay calm.

Claire paused and stared at a door; This one had a metal plate with an engraving on it…

_Chief Irons…_

She gripped the doorknob and found it turning with a soft _click_. It wasn’t broken…

The door still creaked as it opened and she found herself staring at a young woman sitting in a chair behind a desk. She didn’t look like a zombie, but there was a coldness about her, from the paleness of her skin to her rigid position.

Claire held her gun steady, “M… Ma’am?”

No response came from the woman.

“Ma’am… If you can hear me, make a slow gesture or… or say something.”

“She can’t.”

Claire spun around, as fast as her gravid body would let her, raising her weapon at the sudden, unexpected voice that came from the corner before her eyes locked onto the heavy-set man with sick eyes and grey hair.

The Man raised his hands quickly, “Whoa, lady!”

Claire didn’t respond to his comment; Her heart was thundering in her chest. Her hands felt clammy. She felt an uncharacteristic panic and an urge to grab at her stomach and protect it.

This man had a bad aura… She swallowed softly, “Who’re you?”

“You didn’t see the name plate? You’re in my office.” He held out his hand, “Chief Brian Irons. You are?”

She didn’t take the offered hand, instead choosing to lower her gun slightly, “Claire… You’re… You’re the chief…”

“I am, or perhaps, I should say I was before everything went to fucking hell in this fucking city.”

Claire blinked, “Do you know what happened?”

Irons paused before shrugging, “Haven’t a clue.”

_What a fucking lie…_ “What… What about this woman?” She gestured to the cold body, “What’s wrong with her?”

The Chief snorted, “She’s dead, that’s what.”

“O… Oh.” Claire glanced at the body, “How? Who is… Who was she?”

He hesitated again, “Her name was Katherine Warren… She was… _ahem_ , attacked and I was forced to kill her.”

“She looks fresh.”

“Well, taxidermizing is a hobby of mine. Whenever I find a good figure, I can’t help myself.” His eyes darted over her pregnant belly, as if noting that her present body was a ‘good figure’. He licked his lips softly, “I must say… I didn’t expect to see an expectant mother surviving so well…”

_Fucking mad man…_

She nodded as she backed away from him, towards the door, “Yeah, sure… Well, don’t get used to it.” She fumbled with the handle for a second, refusing to take her eyes off of him before slipping out and closing the door firmly.

Claire could him whisper to the corpse-doll he had made out of that poor girl through the door. She debated going back in just to shoot him, but decided to conserve her ammunition. She didn’t have time waste; She had to find that girl…

She glanced at her hands and watched them tremble slightly before glancing at her belly.

_You’re really trying to mess me up, huh?_

*

Claire poked her head into the evidence room, “Yo-hoo? Lil’ girl?”

No response; She wasn’t expecting anything different at this point. She walked into the room, holding her gun low, practically resting it on her belly. For all its inconveniences, it was at least acting as a decent place to hold her gun at.

She walked through the shelves of evidence, casually. Thanks to the back-less designs of the shelves, she was able to see the room relatively clearly. She couldn’t see or hear anything out of the ordinary.

_A resting spot…_

She let out a soft sigh as her shoulders loosened up. She placed one hand over one of her breasts and squeezed it gently.

_Getting bigger…_

She knew pregnant women got bigger breasts because of the milk and everything, but she hadn’t expected such a noticeable growth.

_Well, I guess, they’ll be useful when it comes to feeding…_

She glanced at the shelves silently; What a lot of stuff. Drugs, weapons, clothes… She poked through and pulled out a couple of shot-gun shells and examined them. They’d definitely fit her gun.

A smirk emerged on her face; A chance to replenish her ammo was greatly appreciated. She continued to poke through, pulling out a plastic-wrapped brick.

_Is this…?_

The light fell on the label that read, ‘Caution: Volatile Explosive Compound. Do Not Expose to Extreme Heat. Store in a Cool, Dry Area.” Along side the warnings were numerous symbols that signified the danger in the small package. It almost felt ironic that it was stored along side all these weapons.

She almost put it back before reconsidered and shoving it and a few more bricks into her packs. It was a tight squeeze. It wouldn’t be easy to use, but she could see herself needing it, if she ever came across another massive horde or-

A soft clanging made Claire freeze, tense up and raise her gun.

There was no one in the room…

“Hello?” Claire’s voice was soft; Almost a whisper.

“Lady?”

That voice… Claire followed it to a ventilation shaft and stared at the face of the Little Girl from behind the grate that sealed it as she felt a grin split her face, “You! You’re okay!”

The Girl nodded, a grin on her face as well, “You too!”

Claire glanced around the room before grabbing a small knife and beginning to work at the screws that held the grate in place, “Oh, I’m so glad you’re okay! I’ve been worried sick!”

The Girl just nodded as she pushed on the grate gently, “…I’m Sherry.”

“Hey, Sherry. Good to finally hear your name. I’m Claire.” She tugged and the grate popped out gently, “Come on.”

Sherry took Claire’s hand before hesitating, “Are you okay?”

“Huh? Oh.” Claire glanced at her belly before shrugging, “Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. Just pregnant.”

“Oh.”

“Yep… Did you see anyone else around when you were hiding?”

Sherry shook her head, “I’m not sure…”

Claire nodded, “Well… How did you get here? Did you come here alone?”

“My Mom left me here… There was a man. He was supposed to know a way out of the city… The zombies are everywhere… But this way was supposed to be secret… But she didn’t know…”

A frown crossed over Claire’s lips, “She didn’t know what?”

“He’s a bad man… He wanted to hurt me… So, I had to run…”

_Bad man…_

“Chief Irons?”

Sherry nodded silently.

Claire felt her jaw tighten. She was glad her suspicions about him were right, but she wasn’t eager to go back to him… But…

“You said, he knows a way out?”

Sherry nodded again.

Claire sighed and adjusted her weapons before handing the knife to Sherry, “Keep this with you, and stick with me. We’re getting out of here.”

*

The door to Irons’ office was open, but only a crack.

The fact did not inspire any sort of confidence in Claire. The man was deranged and she had no desire to take any chances with him.

She glanced down at Sherry; the young girl was clinging by her side gently, like a baby sloth onto its mother, “Don’t leave me, understand? I’ll keep you safe.”

Claire could feel Sherry’s cheek brush against her body as she nodded.

She kept the gun raised as she kicked the door open with a resounding thud; The dead eyes of Katherine Warren stared back at her, but they were alone.

Claire glanced around the room, before heading towards the desk and Katherine’s body. Despite the grotesque nature of the situation, she couldn’t help but admire the beauty. Her body had been so flawlessly maintained that she seemed alive. Yet, as she got closer, Claire could see the uncanny details that marked her as a corpse; Glass eyes, subtle scars and the paleness of her skin.

“Claire?”

“Hm?”

“She’s… She’s dead isn’t she?”

Claire nodded without saying a word before glancing around. Irons was nowhere to be seen.

_Damn it…_

She marched to the other side of the desk and carefully pulled the chair and wheeled Katherine away, “Sorry, girl.”

“Claire, what are-?”

“Well, I’m hoping that Irons might have left something in his desk about the way out of here…”

“Do… Do you need me to-”

Claire waved her hand, “Uh… No, no. You don’t worry yourself.” In her bones, she didn’t feel right making this sweet little girl doing anything.

_God, I just wanna pamper her. Shame, we’re stuck in this hell-hole._

Claire paused and rubbed her head. These thoughts were uncharacteristic of her; not the “hell-hole” thoughts, but the desire to pamper Sherry.

_I don’t think I’ve ever liked little children this much…_

She began to pull out the various drawers in the desk, going through their contents. It mostly only seemed to police documents and various odd bits of stationary supplies, until she pulled out a small leather bound note book.

_Bingo._

Claire began to flip through the journal carefully, her eyes picking up only a few words on each page before going to the next, trying to ignore the useless information. She felt her hatred for the man grow as she read.

_Umbrella Corporation? T-Virus… Zombies… This fucking bastard knew about the infection before it even started…_

She felt her stomach roll as the handwriting began to become erratic and loose, making the moment his mind began to break down and his words began to describe grotesque actions; The hunting of innocent people, who tried to escape the zombie epidemic that he did nothing to stop. The amusement he felt when he slaughtered them. The tortures he inflicted on them. The way he preserved them and stuffed them and-

“Claire?”

Her eyes darted down to Sherry, who was holding her hand gently, “Claire, are you okay?”

“…Huh?”

“You were reading… and… and you became pale… and you looked sick…”

Claire blinked and touched her forehead, feeling the thin layer of sweat that had emerged without her knowledge.

“Is it the babies?” Sherry touched Claire’s round stomach gently, and there was a gentle sensation of movement from within, “Are they okay?”

There was a gentle silence for a few seconds before Claire smiled and nodded, “Yeah… I’m… I’m okay and they’re okay too…” She placed her hand over Sherry’s, “Don’t worry.”

Without letting go of Sherry’s hand, she continued reading. She was reaching present day when she saw Sherry’s name in the book. He was expressing a desire to taxidermize the girl, because he had ‘never done a child before’. She resolved to try and shoot him as soon as she saw him.

She blinked as she saw her name in the book. He seemed particularly fascinated with her size and the “perfection of her belly”. She shuddered with revulsion at his descriptions and quickly skipped a few pages, as her eyes finally found the descriptions of an escape passage.

It led from Iron’s office and into the Sewers and from there he seemed to describe various rooms and paths that lead to other places, but there was a single path that led straight out of the city…

She had found it. A way out.

She glanced towards a book shelf and took a small step before wincing and grabbing at her belly. It was growing again… She could feel it shift and warp, as her skin began to stretch slowly. She cursed inside her mind softly before glancing at Sherry, “S… Sherry.”

“Claire? What’s wrong?!”

Without responding, she took the girl’s hand and pulled her close into a silent hug. Just having her close, made her feel stronger. Her chest heaved a few times before she straightened slightly and shaking her head, “Just got a little light-headed…”

“Y… You’re sure?”

Claire nodded softly and carefully moved over to the shelf and began to examine the books before gently tugging on one.

A soft clicking and whirring began to emanate from the shelf, as it began to slide to the side revealing a large hole in the wall that moved down into darkness.

_Ugh… It stinks_ …

“Is that… A way out?”

“Its supposed to be.”

“Should we go?”

“…Just one second.”

Claire hopped back towards the desk and examined the contents on it before she found what she was looking for. She lifted the mic and pressed the button gently before clearing her throat and speaking into it.

“Leon.” She heard her voice echo deep in the station through the announcement system, “I found the girl; Her name is Sherry. There’s a secret way out in Chief Irons’ office. I’m taking her out. You should get out too.”

She released mic and quickly made her way back to the secret path with Sherry, “Come on.”

“Who’s Leon?”

“He’s… a guy. A police officer. He was helping me look for you. I figured I should tell him I found you, if he…”

“If he?”

_Isn’t dead…_

Claire shook her head, “Nothing. I figured, I should just tell him I found you. Come on.”

And they started down into the darkness.

*

“Sherry, focus the light a little more on the floor…”

“Sorry…”

“No, no, its… Um… Its…. You don’t have to apologize…”

The passage didn’t seem very long, but the lack of light made it feel more challenging. After everything she had encountered and seen in this city, Claire had no desire to take any risks, especially in the dark. She had given the light to Sherry, which left her own hands free to hold onto her guns and to Sherry.

She tightened her grip on Sherry’s hand before pulling the little girl closer, while adjusting her grip on her weapon. She had to be ready to fire at a moment’s notice. She wasn’t going to let anything happen to Sherry…

“Hold on.”

She stopped Sherry and squinted; the door-way ahead of them seemed to lack a door, and was just as dark as the hall they were in, but with the faint light they had, Claire could see the vague shapes of humanoids; Unmoving and statuesque.

_People? Or Zombies?_

Claire couldn’t tell in the faint light. She was hesitant to say anything in the fear that she’d just attract them towards Sherry and herself.

“…Sherry, give me the light. And stay here.”

“What?”

“I’m gonna scout ahead a bit. If its dangerous, I want you to run back as fast you can-”

“No, I-!”

Claire clamped her hand over Sherry’s mouth quickly before the little girl could raise her voice further, “This isn’t an argument. I’m not going to let you get hurt, understand? I-” She paused and closed her eyes as the unborn children in her belly squirmed softly. The sudden movement was unnerving; Like a dangerous omen.

She waited for the movement to subside slightly, “…I can’t let anything happen to you. If something happens, then Leon will be heading here… You need to help him, if something happens to me, understand?”

Sherry blinked a few times before nodding softly.

“Good girl…” Claire released her and took the light from her before walking forward into the room.

She kept her light focused on one of the figures. It didn’t seem to move at all; A fact that distanced it from both humans and zombies.

_It could be a new monster, like that Licking Thing…_

Her suspicions were curbed as she got closer and closer. She began to see human features and clothes on the figure. The skin looked impossibly pristine; Almost fake.

_…A mannequin?_

No, there was something more to it… Like…. Like it was…

Claire reached the figure and stared at it; There was something wrong with it. She touched it hesitantly and let her fingers examine its surface.

Dry and stiff, but it had the memory of softness.

_These are…_ _Oh god… These are his-_

“Nice, aren’t they?”

Lights flashed on the room; Claire whirled around as fast as her body would let her, but she froze as soon as she felt the gun barrel pushing against her back.

“Drop your gun, girl.”

She swallowed, refusing to release her weapon, but she felt her fingers adjust themselves over the grip.

“…I would very much prefer to avoid blowing a hole in your torso. It would completely damage the skin and the shape of your delightful belly, not to mention ruin your unborn children entirely.”

Claire closed her eyes and nodded slowly, dropping her gun by her side, “… You like showing up behind people, don’t you?”

Irons darted around her, picking up her gun as he did so before shrugging, “People often forget to check behind themselves when they’re worried about what’s in front of them.”

She glanced toward the taxidermized people; At least a dozen, if not more, “You killed all of these people…”

“I did. Being the chief of police in this rotten city had its perks, you see.”

“You’re disgusting.”

He shrugged, “Well, I enjoy what I do, so what you think really doesn’t matter… Now… I presume, you’ve found Sherry?”

Claire didn’t respond, and Iron’s chuckled slightly, “Oh, I know you were looking for her.” His voice shifted to a higher pitch as he mimicked her, “ ‘Little Girl? Oh, Little Girl?’ God, you certainly weren’t hiding the fact that you were trying to find her… But you found her in the end, didn’t you?”

_…Have to protect her…_

She shook her head, “She was half dead when I found her.”

“What?”

“Bitten by one of those freaks.”

“Damn. Such a waste.”

Claire narrowed her eyes, “Its your own damn fault…”

Irons frowned, “What’re you talking about?”

_Gotta buy some time… Figure our something…_

“You… I read your journal… You knew about the outbreak before it happened.”

He stared at her for a few seconds before sighing, “You didn’t fucking read it properly, if that’s what you’re assuming.”

Claire didn’t say anything, only waiting for him to continue.

“That… fucking Umbrella corporation… They had their blasted experiments with their stupid viruses… If they just kept it located in the mansion, like they fucking said they would, then there wouldn’t have been a problem…” He groaned and rolled his neck, his arms trembling slightly, “But, they had to just FUCK IT ALL UP!! Those stupid idiots had to just let their experiments get out and… and… FUCK!!”

Claire attempted to duck as Irons began to wave his gun around wildly, but with her belly, the best she could do was hide behind one of the taxidermized corpses; Not that it did much; Her body was so much larger than the ‘statute’ and Irons seemed to losing focus as he continued to ramble wildly.

“Everything was going well! I had money and I could hunt all the women I wanted! I could enjoy myself, but then they… fucking hell, they fucked up and now, I’m stuck here!”

Claire wanted to throw up; She felt an uncharacteristic amount of panic washing over her, as the unborn children inside began to struggle almost violently. She gripped her massive stomach in an attempt to calm it down, without luck, “Damn… it…”

“They just had to fucking let out the Viruses! Fucking hell… and they had to fuck up and let that… bloody, fucking scientist release the second one too!”

_Second one?_ The sudden mention of a second virus was odd to say the least. She prayed that whatever it was, it didn’t do more damage than the first one.

“I… I…” Irons raised his gun and Claire let out an unintentional squeak as he cocked the hammer, “I…”

Then he froze and fell silent.

It was a sudden and jarring change in tone; His maniacal shouting, being replaced with a gentle, but unnerving silence.

Claire watched his hand fall to his side and saw his gun as well as her own slip from his fingers. A loud bang, made her jump as his cocked gun discharged, thankfully in the opposite direction from her. However, Irons himself didn’t react to shot.

She inched towards him, carefully, noticing small twitches over his body before hunkering down and snatching her gun as well as his, before crawling back away from him. She noticed her belly was beginning to rub up against the ground, as she crawled; Another growth spurt must have occurred without her notice. It was clear and evident; She was practically resting on it, to the point that it was almost relieving the stress on her back.

Forcing herself into a sitting position, and kept her eyes on Irons, raising her gun in a steady hand. She didn’t know what caused him to freeze, but her suspicion was that he had been infected with one of the viruses he had been screaming about-

A soft ‘splatch’ echoed in the room, and Claire struggled to hold back a scream, as a worm-like thing burst out of his chest. Irons’ body went limp as the creature began to squeal wildly, trying to pull itself out of his chest.

_No, no, no, no, no, no, no-_

Claire unleased a volley of shots at the worm without hesitation, some digging into Irons body as well. She didn’t hold back; She couldn’t hold back and she wouldn’t. Within seconds, she was pulling the trigger and the only response was a gentle empty click. The two corpses; Irons and the Worm were both silent.

Her body was covered in a cold sweat as she tried to calm herself. This was too much. She didn’t understand anything anymore. She had to get out of this city…

_Sherry…_

She grunted softly and glanced towards the door, “Sherry? Are you there?”

No reply came.

_Of course… She’s gone back to the office…_

Claire glanced around the room briefly, before her eyes locked onto a rusted door. She carefully, pushed her way through the ‘statutes’ towards the door and inspected it; There was no lock, as she turned the handle and was immediately greeted by the foul stench of sewage.

_Ugh… Okay…_

She closed the door firmly, before turning to make her way back to Sherry before pausing and closing her eyes. She felt so exhausted. Her body felt weaker than ever and her belly… There didn’t seem to be any sign of it stopping. It was so massive at this point; She had never seen a woman who appeared this big.

She touched it carefully and felt the ‘things’ inside her move. It was a strange sensation; Her skin felt like it was ready to burst, but at the same time, it felt tough and strong. The movement within felt calm and composed, completely ignoring the previously panicked struggling.

Claire wanted to throw up.

Her body didn’t feel like her own anymore. It was like everything that was ‘her’ was being drained and she was being reduced to… something else…

…

She opened her eyes and slowly moved back into the hall, “Sherry… Can you hear me?”

Once again, there was no response, and Claire began to force her legs to move. The weight from her belly was murder on her exhausted body; it didn’t feel natural. Her legs were being forced apart in an almost comedic fashion; her hips felt like they were going to pop out of their sockets, with every step.

Claire managed to compose herself with each step, occasionally closing her eyes and taking deep breaths, ignoring the heavy waves of sweat that were rolling off her skin as she carefully called out for Sherry every so often. She didn’t want to risk raising her voice…

“…Claire?”

The soft voice responding to her calls, sent an immense amount of relief rushing through her body, “Sherry! Sherry, I’m here.”

The little girl came rushing out of the dark before immediately glomping onto Claire, her little arms unable to wrap around her gravid body, “I… I was scared, when I heard he was there! I’m… I’m so sorry, I ran-”

“Shh, shh…” Claire gently patted Sherry’s head; the relief made her feel faint, but she managed to stay on her feet, “Its… Its fine… I told you to run, didn’t I?”

“Mmh.”

The two of them remained silent for a short while, stuck in their relaxed embrace, before Sherry peeked upward, “Claire… Are you alright?”

“…Just tired, sweetie…”

“…Can we rest for a bit?”

Claire blinked a few times before leaning against the wall, feeling a dull smile cross her face, “Yeah, I think I could use that.”

They both gently slide down the wall; Sherry snuggling against Claire, while Claire carefully spread her legs to accommodate her increasingly large belly. She rubbed it gently; She wasn’t sure what to do, if it became too big for her to manage; At the rate it was growing, she was quite certain that was a possibility. That or she’d end up exploding.

Neither possibility made her feel particularly happy.

Then she felt Sherry push herself closer, and she decided to push those thoughts aside for later.

*

_Ugh…_

Claire wanted to throw up.

Her pregnancy did make her nauseous, but the roll waves of disgust in her belly were being caused by the thick, sewage she was being forced to wade through.

The ‘river’ wasn’t particularly deep; It only went up to her mid-calf, but it was incredibly dense; Like she was walking through a shit-soup. However, her belly was getting so large, that the underside of it was constantly dipping to the thick sewage soup as she walked, in the most irritating and unpleasant manner. For Sherry, it just barely reached her waist and the little girl kept her arms suspended in the air to prevent them from touching the sewage.

“Claire?” Sherry’s voice was a hesitant whisper.

“Hm?”

“I don’t like it down here.”

“Me neither, sweetie. But we gotta get through. The exit is through here.”

“…Claire?”

“Yeah?”

“Is it true that people flush goldfish and baby alligators down here and they end up growing really big and dangerous?”

“No, I think that’s just a myth.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“…What’s a Myth?”

Claire blinked, “Oh… Uh… Its… Its kinda like a rumour; Or an Urban Legend. A sorta not-real story that someone invents and it just gets passed around so much that people don’t know if its real or not anymore.”

“Like when everyone said a boy died, but he just got the flu, but everyone thought he died?”

“Uh, yeah. Yeah. It wasn’t real, but it got started somewhere and it just became something else.”

“Oh.”

“Yep.”

“That’s pretty neat.”

Claire shrugged, “It is what it is.”

“Do you know any other myths?”

“…Uh… I think there was one about a guy going to this weird town and seeing all these weird freaky monsters there. I can’t remember it right now. People called it… something Hill… or something like that? I can’t really remember it clearly…” The story felt oddly relatable to her at the moment; Coming to a town and seeing it full of monsters.

“Will you tell me about it when you remember it?”

“…Sure. Sure, I will.” Claire felt her hand tighten over Sherry’s as she pulled the little girl closer before pausing.

Her eyes darted from side to side at the two distinct paths.

_…I think Irons’ journal mentioned taking the left path?_

Before she could decide, Claire felt the world shake under her. She felt her body stiffen in a panic.

_Earthquake?_ _No… Its… Its rhythmic… Its… Its something big? Moving down here…_

She glanced backwards and then at the thick sludge that was flowing beneath them. Slow ripples were forming with each tremor; Each ripple bigger than the last.

_Moving towards us…_

Claire swallowed, “Sherry…”

“C-Claire… What… What’s that sound?”

“Sherry, you need to run down the left path, understand?”

“N-No! I… I don’t wanna be alone-”

“Sherry, please.”

“I don’t wanna-!”

“O-Okay! I’ll… I’ll find you again!”

Sherry hesitated and sniffed, “You promise?”

“Yes, yes, I do!”

Sherry just stared for a few seconds before nodding and rushing down the left tunnel, into the dark.

_Okay…_

Claire carefully backed down into the right tunnel, pulling out her guns and taking aim at the empty path from which they came before shouting, “Come down here, you motherfucker!!”

She moved back as quickly as her massive belly would let her. _Gotta get it as far away from Sherry as possible…_

Her legs weren’t moving very fast; Her body, in its present state, wasn’t meant for movement at all. She was forcing herself to remain upright as it was. She glanced at her belly and clicked her tongue in irritation as she felt the babies squirm painfully inside her.

_Y’all just wanna fuck me over right now, don’t you?_

A soft growl emanated from the dark and Claire readied her gun, “You better hope, you can fucking eat lead… You fucking asshole…”

There was a heavy thud and Claire felt her legs grow unsteady from the tremor as the Monster emerged from the shadows. It made her eyes widen in disgust; A twisted mockery of a human body with oversized muscles that didn’t make sense. It shouldn’t have been able to walk like that. It looked like it was in agony as moved. There was a massive orange eye-ball on its shoulder and a human face on its torso that was twisted in pain. The massive eye glanced at Claire and lingered on her belly for a few seconds before the Monster took another step forward.

_That… That eye…_

The impact tremor made Claire slip and fall into the sludge. She wanted to throw up, but she managed to hold it all in before squeezing the trigger on her shotgun. She watched the Monster roar in pain and roll back from the impact but it straightened itself almost instantly before taking another step forward.

“S…Stay back!”

Claire pumped the gun again and let loose another series of pellets into the Monster, but it barely seemed fazed. She tried to pump it for a third time when a series of agonizing spasms it her body. She felt her mouth scream in pain as she jerked around like a marionette. The unborn in her belly was stabbing and biting her. There was something wrong. She felt her skin stretch painfully.

_It hurts…_

She felt the monster step past her, for a brief moment before sniffing a few times and moving back, towards the left tunnel.

_No…_

She tried to grab at the monster, but its foot just rose up and pressed down on her head gently, forcing her under the thick soup.

Claire felt her eyes burn from the foul liquid. The sludge was poisoning her, as she tried to push the Monster off of her. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t move. She was going to die. She-

A muffled explosion emerged above her and the Monster roared in anger, stepping off of Claire, letting her head burst up for air. She quickly wiped the muck from her face and opened her eyes to see a thick cloud of white mist around her and the she could feel the tremors of the Monster running away… Down the left tunnel…

“n… No…”

“You’re fucking lucky I showed up in time, you idiot.”

Claire glanced back at the new voice; A woman’s voice. The owner of the voice, emerged from the mist; A blonde woman, with a tight expression. She wore a lab coat, with simple, bland clothes below it, “…Damn, you’re fucking huge.”

“We… We have to… Go after.”

“We can’t. This mist only holds him off for so long. Come on. I can help you.”

“Who… are you… What was…?”

The Woman sighed as she took Claire’s hand and forced her to stand, “I’m Annette Birkin. That’s… That was my husband.”

*

Annette forced Claire to sit on a small stood in her lab as she quickly began to inspect Claire’s wounds, “…What the hell are you doing down here?”

“I… We were trying to get out of the city, without attracting any Zombies…”

“Heh.” Annette smirked, distastefully, “You came to the wrong place, if you wanted to avoid trouble… You don’t seem infected, but your pregnancy… Seems awfully strange…”

Claire nodded, “You’re telling me. I wasn’t pregnant yesterday.”

“What?”

“I came into this town and I was attacked by… by…” Her mind flashed-back and the image of that massive orange eye stuck out, “That thing.”

“Thing?”

Claire nodded and narrowed her eyes, “That monster just before… It was smaller and… and more human. But… It caught me and it did something… Put something inside me… and it… it just keeps growing…”

Annette paled, taking a few steps back, “Oh… Oh dear.”

“You know what’s inside me…”

“I have a guess.”

“Oh yeah? What did your ‘husband’ do to me? And how the hell did you get married to that freak?”

Annette hesitated before sighing, “He wasn’t always like that. William… was a good man… and… Well, the Company that employed us, didn’t really treat him or his research well.”

Claire felt pieces click in her head, “The Viruses.”

“You know them?”

“I know a little.” She lied.

“Well, after the T-Virus outbreak in Spencer Mansion, the Umbrella Corporation wasn’t too interested in helping him develop his research further. So he made a deal with the Military… and the Corporation had no desire to lose out on whatever he had already made…” Annette’s jaw tightened, “They stole his work and tried to kill him.”

“Tried?”

Annette nodded, “They almost succeeded. But, his latest work… Golgotha… The G-Virus… It was supposed to amplify human attributes to super-human levels; G-Humans, they would’ve been called. He kept a sample on hand and he… he injected himself before he could succumb.”

Claire swallowed, “Something went wrong…”

“In a manner of speaking, yes. He became stronger but… his body changed so much and he’s completely lost himself… I can only suspect why. Perhaps his body was too weak, or perhaps he just wasn’t compatible… He began to turn into that thing… The thing that infected you-”

“Infected me???”

“You didn’t think that was a normal pregnancy did you? William… or, as I call him now, ‘G’, is trying to create more G-Humans… His body produces… well, for a lack of a better word, I suppose we can call them, ‘G-Embryos’.”

“…Embryos?”

“Yes. He’s trying to infect whoever he can find with them. I don’t even suppose he knows why he’s doing this.”

“T… There are embryos in me?”

Annette paused for a moment, “Yes… But, they seem different. You’re still alive.”

Claire frowned, “Huh?”

“Everyone I’ve seen who was infected with a G-Embryo dies as the Embryo completes its gestation, when it bursts from the torso area…”

Claire blinked. _That sounds like what happened to Irons…_ “So… so, they’re going to-”

“But you seem different…” Annette rubbed her chin slowly, “The Embryos seem to be gestating peacefully inside you; Growing much like how a regular child would… Not to mention the fact that you seem to carrying a larger number than anyone else. I suspect you were infected with ‘proto-embryos’ before they became what they are now. I suspect you might even give birth at some point… Or they might just grow until you burst. Either way, we’re going to have to get your ‘kids’ out of you quickly.”

_Kid…_

Claire smacked her head, “Fuck! I forgot about Sherry!”

Annette froze, “Sherry? What do you mean?”

“She’s a little girl I found; She’s alone and-”

Annette gripped Claire’s collar, “What the hell is wrong with you? Why did you bring her down here? Irons was supposed to get her out!”

“You know-?”

“She’s my daughter!”

Claire stared in stunned silence. _Daughter…_

Annette groaned, “Damn it, you nitwit! Now, she’s going to aggravate William! He’s been looking for her! The G-Embryos are looking for similarities between the Origin and the Host! Sherry’s the perfect host for him!”

“Well… You… You shouldn’t have left her alone up there! She was frightened and she needed help!”

“She was safe!”

Claire felt a fire rise in her belly, “No… No, she wasn’t! She was scared and alone and… and… and you abandoned her!”

“I kept her from the thing that was trying to hunt her!”

“You abandoned her!” Claire repeated herself, “She… She needed her mother!”

“I had to stop William!”

“But, you could’ve told her… You could’ve… Told her, you’d come back…”

Claire felt the fire die as quickly as it had emerged, only to be replaced with a block of lead and hate; This was the woman Sherry wanted… No matter what she did, she couldn’t substitute her real mother…

She wanted to scream and cry. She wanted to beat Annette’s head in. She wanted to say that what Annette did was wrong, by taking Sherry out of the Sewers…

Her emotions were running wild; She could feel the G-Embryos moving inside her, matching the pace of her feelings. She gripped her belly and tried to focus herself before a shrill scream stabbed her ears.

“CLAIRE!!! H… HELP!!”

Both Claire and Annette perked at the scream.

“Sherry!”

“Sherry!”

Claire quickly pushed off the stool, before Annette stood in her way, “Where are you going?”

“I… I have to help her! She called for me!”

Annette looked like she was about to say something before nodding, “Okay. Wait.” She reached for a small sheet of paper on a table and handed it, “This is a map of the Sewers. We’re here.” She pointed quickly, “I half suspect that William has infected her and even if he hasn’t, I’m not going to chance it.”

“What-?”

“I’m going to prepare DEVIL. It’s a vaccine for the G-Virus, but it’s only effective before the infection is complete and its going to take me some time to synthesize. Now, I want you to find Sherry in that time and bring her here.” She pointed to another part of the map, “That’s research facility. I can make the vaccine here, but I only have enough for maybe one or two shots. At the facility, there’s more resources. I can make more; For Sherry and for you. You find her while I’ll make the vaccine for all of us.”

Claire took the map, glancing at it briefly before shoving it into her pocket, “Okay. I’ll see you there then.”

*

“Sherry!”

Claire waded through the sewer, her eyes darting around wildly as she tried to grab onto anything she could, that would help her find the little girl.

_Oh, god… Why did I have to send her alone? Why…_

Her mind was instantly flooded with terrible images; Images of blood and gore. Pain and torture. Agony and tears. A little girl sobbing to herself, crying out for help that didn’t come.

_No… No, don’t think that way!_

She tried to push the images out, but the loomed heavy over her; The guilt. The pain.

_You brought her down her._

_You’re the one who put in her in harm’s way._

_If it wasn’t for you…_

_If it wasn’t for you…_

Claire felt her legs slow down from the intense exhaustion her body was suffering from. The weight she was carrying was just too much. She felt against one of the walls and struggled to control her breathing.

_Sherry… I’m so sorry… Please be alright…_

“…air…”

It was a whisper. Barely a whisper. A sound that had been deafened through countless echoes in the long, tunnels.

But it was there. Claire’s ears picked it up.

Claire felt her legs carry her, as her arms moved around her body, pulling off everything she could spare; If her belly was going to pull her down so much, she’d have to get rid of anything else she could. The shot-gun. The numerous extra shells. Additional weapons. Medicinal powders. Ink Ribbons. Everything that was just weighing her down. None of it mattered… What mattered was… was…

Claire found herself emerging into a large room; Some sort of central chamber of the sewers from size of it and the numerous pipes that lead into the room.

And in the centre, lying on a small patch of dry concrete, was a small, semi-conscious figure.

“Sherry!”

Claire rushed towards the little girl, who raised her head weakly, “C… Claire…”

“Oh… Oh, Sherry! Sherry, I’m… I’m so sorry, I left you! I… Oh, Sherry!”

The girl had a small, puncture wound in her abdomen that was slowly oozing blood and some other sticky substance. It was not a large wound, but Sherry was clearly in a bad state.

“What… What happened here?”

“The… Monster… ”

“Shh… Its… Its gonna be fine! Its gonna be fine!”

_Infected…_

_I was too late…_

No, no. There was still hope. Annette was preparing the vaccine as they were speaking. Claire fumbled for a few seconds, tugging the map out of her pocket and examining it briefly for a few seconds before turning her attention back to Sherry, “Hey, Sherry…! Can… Can you hear me?”

“Uhhh…” Sherry nodded slowly.

“I’m gonna take you to a place now, and your mom should be there with a cure, okay?”

“M… Mom?”

“Yeah!”

“Will… Will you be there?”

Claire stared in confusion for a brief second before nodding rapidly, “Of course! I’m not going away!”

She tried to slip her arms under Sherry’s body, only to face resistance from her massive belly.

_THIS FUCKING-!!!_

“S-Sherry… I… Uh… Can you walk, uh… if I help you?”

“I… I think so?”

“Okay… Come on… Nice and easy… Here, let’s put some pressure there… and there we go… Easy… Easy… That’s it… Urg…”

“C-Claire… Uh… Are you able to walk?”

“Heh… Not… Not really well… I’m getting to heavy for my own good…”

The two of them stumbled slowly; Claire trying to support Sherry while keeping pressure on the girl’s wound, while Sherry was also trying to support Claire’s increasingly large body.

“Your babies aren’t very normal…”

“So, I’ve been told…” Claire smirked softly before glancing down at Sherry. The little girl was trying to put on a brave face, but she was clearly feeling some discomfort within herself.

_She’s infected…_

Claire wasn’t quite sure about that fact; It was highly likely, and if that was the case, then it was all the more reason for them to move as fast as they could-

…

There was a ‘snap’.

It wasn’t a sound or a feeling. There was no pain or anything. It was a sensation.

Claire felt her hands grip her belly as a deep sense of dread began to wash over her. That ‘snap’ felt abnormal, but she could still sense it; It had come from within her womb; From the unborn things within her. They weren’t in any pain; If anything, they were rather comfortable at the moment.

But they could sense it.

A furious roar echoed through the sewers behind them.

“…G”, Claire paled at the familiarity of that roar and the sudden tremors that began to follow it.

“W-What?”

“The monster! It’s the monster that caught you! It sensed that you were being moved! Its angry; Its fucking pissed as hell!”

“O…Oh-”

“Come on! We… We need to get out of here! Fast!!”

Claire began to urge Sherry forward, forcing the two them to move faster than before; It was uncomfortable and painful but worst of all, it clearly wasn’t fast enough.

_Fuck… Fuck, we’re gonna die… We’re gonna…_

She blinked. There were things floating in the sludge in front of her. It felt odd noticing them, but she recognized them.

_My stuff_.

It felt somewhat ironic that she had dumped everything when she was so close to Sherry and now she had to run past them without being able to use any of them to defend…

Her eyes locked onto the small, plastic covered bricks.

_Explosives…_

“Sherry. Quick! Move past those bricks!”

“Huh?”

“Those bricks in the water! Run past them and make sure we’re as far away from them while still keeping them in sight!!”

“O-Okay!”

Claire fumbled briefly as she tried to pull out her hand-gun; The only weapons she had kept on her person. She kept her eyes fixed on the explosives. She didn’t know how many shots she’d get, but she wasn’t going to chance it.

The tremors were getting louder and stronger; She could hear G getting closer and closer. His… Its fury was distinct and clear; It had no desire to lose Sherry; She could sympathize with it in that fact, but she wasn’t going to lose out in that field. She wasn’t going to let Sherry become a monster.

There was an intense crash and a cloud of dust, rubble and sludge burst into the air as G smashed into the large room they had left behind.

_Fuck… Its already here…_

They weren’t far enough from the explosives. They needed to be further…

G seemed to be smashing around the room, sniffing wildly trying to find Sherry. It seemed aggravated; It was much larger than before and Claire could see that it was developing an additional set of smaller limbs.

_Fucking freak…_

As if responding to her thoughts, G’s head twisted, turning towards the tunnel they were travelling down.

_Fuck._

“Sherry… Run. Run!”

“B-But, Claire-!”

“RUN!”

She shoved Sherry forward, before turning and facing down the Monster as it roared and began to head down the tunnel.

_One shot, eh?_

Claire pointed her gun at the explosives floating the sewage and prayed that they were as volatile as the packaging claimed.

She pulled the trigger.

The shot rang and echoed in the confined space.

The bullet charged through the barrel, spinning in the air as it moved towards it target. The bullet carried with it, the heat from its projection along with the friction it generated as it moved.

It didn’t tear through the plastic; The plastic merely parted willingly for the bullet, allowing it to come in contact with the semi-solid explosive. The heat was more than enough to ignite it.

The pressure built up rapidly as the explosive ignited. Air rippled and moved. Gases that had built up in these sub-terraranan tunnels, that had remained undisturbed for so long, now felt the heat of fire and embraced it completely, burning with a terrible fervour.

Claire winced as the air hit her, knocking her back, just barely avoiding the terrible heat. The sound of the explosion exposed her ears to sounds at levels she should have never heard; She barely avoided being deafened. Rubble of varying sides rained over her body, pelting her painfully, some shards tearing through her clothes and skin.

The walls of the tunnel were blown away like they were paper; Rubble tumbled down from the gaping chasm that had been created, plugging the tunnel, ensuring no human could pass through it. The sewage that had gathered there for weeks was now taking advantage of the newly created cracks to slowly spill away.

Claire groaned softly. The world was spinning. She felt nauseous. Like she wanted to throw up. She touched her belly weakly and felt the things kicking inside her painfully, matching her own trembling heart.

“C… Calm down, a… alright?”

She spoke to herself, as much as she did to her unborn; They seemed to respond to her voice, slowly ceasing their struggles and she felt herself flop down weakly, letting her body go limp.

_Well… That went better than I could’ve hoped for…_

She kept her eyes fixed on the wall of rubble, but she couldn’t hear anything past it; Although she couldn’t really hear much of anything. She could see bits of rubble still falling; she could see broken water pipes leaking their clear, clean water letting it mingle with the muck. She could hear the ghost of the sounds she was expecting.

She hoped that G had been hurt by the explosion, if not killed entirely.

“…aire…”

Claire turned over and stared Sherry, as the little girl limped over to her, “…Aire…”

“Mm.”

“Aire… Mm… Nn…”

“Hm.”

“…Aire?”

“Help… Help me up…”

Her own voice sounded muffled to her, but Sherry seemed to be able to hear and understand; She took Claire’s hand and tried to help her stand; A difficult chore due to Claire’s ever-growing belly. Claire remembered seem a tabloid article about a supposed ‘Octomom’; The Woman had been massive, almost impossibly so, and yet Claire was now sporting a belly that mimicked that… Octomom.

_I wonder if I’m an Octomom…_

Claire massaged her belly gently; She could feel Sherry hugging her, or rather hugging her belly, considering that her small arms couldn’t stretch around Claire’s belly anymore. Feeling the little girl’s warmth against her body made her feel over-joyed, but her own lack of energy prevented her from expressing it beyond a gentle pat on the head.

“Come on… Let’s… Let’s go find your mom.”

*

The Research Facility stood in stark contrast to the rest of the sewers; The door was clean and rust free and the inside was sterile and pristine. It was a welcome change as Claire slowly walked through. Even as She and Sherry supported each other, moving was a terrible chore. She didn’t feel like she had grown much; another small blessing.

“Your Mom… Your mom should be here… Or she’s on her way…”

“Mm…”

Claire glanced down at Sherry and winced; The little girl was pale and sickly; Veins stood out on her skin in sharp relief and she was sweating profusely. She looked ready to vomit and collapse any second.

“Sherry… Why… Why don’t you rest for a bit?”

“Oh… okay…”

She carefully made Sherry sit against a wall and watched the girl close her eyes slowly; Her breathing quickly grew relaxed and her strained expression softened, even though her body remained pale and Claire felt her heart relax slightly.

_Damn it… Where is that bitch?_

There was a sudden touch of anger as Claire imagined Annette abandoning her child in cold-blood, but she managed to subdue it quickly before she pulled the map out and began to examine it quietly.

_…Okay… There’s two paths to the research facility… We came through this one… So… Maybe…_

“…Sherry?”

“Mm?”

“I’m gonna go look for your mom, okay?”

“…Nuh…”

Claire frowned, “What?”

“Nu… No… Don’t leave me alone…” Sherry reached out and touched Claire’s hand; Her skin was cold and trembling, “Mom… Mom left me alone before… I… I don’t wanna… I’m scared…”

“…” Claire struggled to voice her feelings before she enveloped Sherry and a gentle, awkward hug, “Its… Its okay, sweetie… I’m gonna be in the facility. You just stay here and rest, okay? I’ll find your mom and we’ll get you the medicine you need and we’re gonna get out of this city, okay?”

“…You promise.”

Claire nodded rapidly, “I promise. I’ll be back before you know it.”

Sherry smiled weakly and released Claire’s hand, “Okay… I’m… I’m gonna sleep…”

There was a soft silence for a few seconds before Claire slowly stood and began to move through the facility, using the wall as support; She didn’t try moving fast. If Annette was in the facility, they’d find each other sooner or later. And there was no point in trying to move fast with her belly. She found herself stroking it as she moved. It was a calming, simple motion and it kept her from passing out.

_Y’know… I got mixed feelings about y’all._

Claire found herself poking her belly as she thought to herself.

_I dunno what you all are… I don’t even know what you’re doing to my body. Honestly, I’m scared._

She felt her fist clench slowly.

_You’ve caused more trouble than your worth and you’re stopping me from even walking normally. You’re all fucking annoying…_

She felt herself sigh softly.

_But… But I guess I don’t hate you… So, you better not bother me later._

The fact that nothing moved inside her while she had the internal monologue made her feel better.

Claire came to a halt, in front of a large, mechanical door. It looked like it was strong enough to withstand a large explosion; Possibly even larger than the one she had just caused. It was an imposing looking thing, but the key-pad that opened it, seemed easy to use. She quickly pushed a single button and watched the doors slide open casually into a large hall.

There were four doors that led into the hall; One was the same one Claire had just come through and there were three more, at the cardinal points from her.

_Huh… I think those other two are supposed to lead to other parts of the facility… and that last one…_

Even as she thought, the door slide open and Annette walked through, with Leon by her side.

“Leon?”

Leon glanced at Claire; A smile emerged on his face, but was instantly quashed when he noticed her unnaturally gravid and bruised condition, “Claire? What happened to you?!”

“Long story. Annette; G got Sherry. Do you have the medicine?”

Annette nodded, “Almost. I need to-”

Claire felt her eyes bulge as the unborn children in her womb began to struggle like tortured demons. She felt her throat clench and choke up as she stumbled and slipped to the ground.

_The pressure…_

She could feel Leon grabbing her and shouting in her face, but she couldn’t hear him. Her eyes were stuck on Annette who was staring at her in a state of shock.

_Annette… Annette… Run…_

She tried to make words, but nothing emerged from her throat, as one of the doors slowly slid open.

For a moment there was a calm.

Then G burst through the doors, roaring in anger. Claire watched as Annette tried to fire her gun, but failed to do so as G’s massive hand wrapped around her body and squeezed; Claire watched her scream in pain as her bones snapped and her skin torn from the pressure.

She watched Leon run and grab the gun that Annette had dropped before firing it into G’s massive eye. A large bullet flew from the gun and released a massive cloud of mist. G let out another roar of pain before throwing Annette to the side and flailing around wildly before Leon shot it once more.

Each shot seemed to cause a great amount of pain to the monster, and it quickly rushed back through the doors while Leon ran to the panels and slammed on the buttons rapidly. A mechanical voice echoed through the facility;

“Warning: Stray Golgotha contaminant detected in the facility. Quarantine Procedure will go into effect in Two Minutes.”

Claire struggled to regulate her breathing; It all happened to fast. She felt her eyes move towards the bleeding form of Annette.

_No… No…_

She felt her body move on its own as she flopped beside Annette, “The vaccine… Where is it… Sherry… We need…”

Annette let out a weak splutter; Fresh blood dripped from her chin. Her expression was mixed; Somewhat distasteful, but somewhat understanding, “…Fucking hell… William always… knew how to piss me off…”

“The vaccine!”

“…Heh… Its…in my pocket… a… and… Its not finished…”

“What?!”

“S… Sherry has the last… She has the last… piece… In her… Her pendent…” Annette’s voice contained something spiteful yet terribly maternal, “Just in… in case…”

Claire dug through Annette’s pockets while Leon rushed over, “Claire! We need to go! Now!”

“Not… not… not yet… Wait…” She tugged and pulled out a slim metal case; It looked deformed from the pressure, but it opened smoothly and within it was a single glass syringe with a shining metal tip, “There’s… There’s only one…”

“Of… Of course…” Annette’s eyes were bloodshot but there was something malicious shining in them, “Sh… Sherry’s… The only one… who… can be saved… You… You’re… too far gone…”

Claire felt her stomach drop, “Y… You’re lying…”

Annette didn’t respond right away; Her eyes were glassy and unfocused. Her chest wasn’t barely moving, “But… But are you going to… to chance that?”

Claire couldn’t bring herself to respond; She could either _try_ to save herself or surely save Sherry.

There really wasn’t a choice, nor was there a need to respond because Annette wasn’t moving anymore.

“Warning: Stray Golgotha contaminant detected in the facility. Quarantine Procedures are going into effect.”

*

“I found Annette, after I went down into the Sewers after you; She told me she met you and that you were looking for her daughter… So, I decided to stick with her in the hopes that I’d find you…”

“Mmh” Claire couldn’t bring herself to respond clearly as she shifted her weight to lean on Leon. She felt slightly guilty for making him support her, but moving on her own was too painful. She glanced down the syringe case and felt her hand tighten around it.

_I have to protect Sherry…_

Annette’s hostile tone before she died… Claire could only assume why she acted in the way she did; Perhaps she realized that Claire was imprinting her new maternal feelings on Sherry. Perhaps she felt threatened by that. She was Sherry’s birth mother after all…

_What a woman… But I suppose she really did care about Sherry… I can’t really blame her for trying to show me up…_

“Claire?”

“Huh?”

Leon glanced at her, “…What are you gonna do now?”

“What… What do you mean?” She could feel the sweat drip off her face; She felt so parched…

“…You’re infected by something aren’t you?”

“…Hm.”

“And that syringe has a cure? Or a partial cure, at least, right?”

“…Yeah…”

Leon hesitated, “And that little girl you both were talking about-”

“Sherry. Her name is Sherry…”

“Yeah… She’s infected too right?”

“…Yea…” Claire lowered her head slightly.

“So… if you only have one cure…”

“I’m giving it to Sherry.” Claire was surprised by the surety in her own voice.

Leon winced at her words; She knew how he felt. He didn’t know Sherry. He was a young man; A rookie cop with fresh morals burning in his heart. He wanted to do the right thing. He wanted to help Claire, who was visibly in pain. He wanted to help Sherry, an innocent little girl.

She was forcing him to pick one, no matter what he wanted to do.

And Claire was fine with that.

“Warning: Quarantine Procedures are now in effect. Beginning Stage 1.”

*

Sherry looked like she was in a worse state than before; Dark veins were standing out over her skin, throbbing softly as the virus slowly took hold of her body. Her skin was no longer pale, but dark, sickly patches had begun to emerge all over; They had the same texture and colour as G; An unsettling fact.

Claire, herself was in no better condition; Her body felt weak and drained. Her womb was weighing her down in an unpleasant fashion; Her knees felt like they would break at any point, even with Leon supporting her. Her arms were thin; thinner than she’d care to admit, but it was very clear that her body was at its breaking point. Her children were killing her.

_…I wonder why I can’t think of them as anything other than my children… Maybe they’re fucking with my mind…_

“S… Sherry…” her voice was dry and hoarse. She tried to swallow, but she had no spit. She felt her arm slip from around Leon’s shoulder, and she tumbled to the ground like a ton of bricks.

“Fuck! Claire! I’m… Are you okay?” Leon’s hands hovered over her, uncertain if his touch could harm her further.

“I’m… I’m… No… no, I don’t think so…” Claire laughed weakly, “I… I think I’m dying…” She glanced at her belly and touched it lightly, almost lovingly, “Fucking… kids… I heard they sucked the life outta you… but I didn’t take it literally…”

She tried to stand, but her body just felt too tired; Too drained. She could barely keep her eyes open.

_Not… not now… I’m right here…_

“L… Leon… Is Sherry breathing?”

Leon nodded quickly, rushing over to the unconscious girl, placing his hand under her nose, while putting the other on her neck, checking her pulse, “…She’s… She’s alive! Her pulse is erratic, but she’s alive!”

“Warning: Quarantine Procedures are going into Stage 3. Please insert Master Key to disable Quarantine Procedures.”

“Her… Pendant… Annette said…”

“Yeah! Yeah!” Leon fumbled for a few seconds before revealing a small medicinal vial, “I got it!”

“Oh… Okay…” Claire nodded, “Add… Add it and… Give… Give her the cure…” She pushed the syringe case towards Leon weakly.

“Wh… What?” Leon’s voice was uncertain and scared.

“You… You need to cure her… Now…”

“I… I can’t…”

“Please…” Claire felt her body relax slowly on the ground, as she let her hand slide back to her side; Her hand grazed her massive belly and she felt her eyes close and the merciful darkness wash over her.

It was quiet and calm. There was no weight, no pain, no sound, no nothing.

_Death… Death isn’t too bad…_

_…I hope Sherry and Leon make it out of there…_

_It feels nice here…_

_But…_

_… I’m so lonely…_

_I’m scared…_

_I don’t…_

Claire gasped as her eyes shot open; She felt her heart pound in her chest with new vigour. Her chest heaved as she gulped in heavy breaths, sending oxygen to the rest of her body. She felt a strange warmth flood her extremities… Life…

_I’m… I’m alive…_

“Claire?”

Leon was leaning over her carefully with an uncertain expression; A combination of panic and hope.

“L… Leon? I…” She swallowed, “Is… Is Sherry-?”

“C… Claire…”

Claire glanced towards the other side and stared at the little girl; Her hands were placed firmly over the puncture wound that G had given her, but the wound seemed to have dried up. Her skin was pink and healthy. A clear sweat beaded her body, but there was no sign of any illness in her. She had a weak, but happy smile on her face.

“Oh… Oh, Sherry…”, Claire reached out and touched the girl’s face gently.

“Thank you…” Her voice was embarrassed and shy; Adorably so.

“I… I don’t understand…” Claire glanced back at Leon, “There was only one…?”

Leon winced and rubbed his head, “I… I took a risk…”

“Huh?”

“I… I split the cure between you both.”

Claire blinked. The thought had occurred to her, but it didn’t feel like a realistic idea. It felt so out of place and nonsensical; Like something out of a child’s imagination… or an ex machina…

Leon continued softly, “I… I gave Sherry most of the cure… and I gave you the rest… We didn’t think it worked…”

Claire laughed weakly as she tried to sit up, “Well… I guess it did-” She frowned, when she felt a familiar resistance. She glanced down at her massive pregnant belly, that was resting calmly, like a massive peach, ready to burst, “…Ah.”

“I thought… Your stomach would… well…”

Claire touched it gently; She could still feel life in it, but it felt different. Calm and composed. It felt gentle and light. It didn’t have the alien tinge like before.

It felt more part of her…

It made her feel happy.

“I’m… I’m sorry…”

Claire shook her head and gently smacked Leon, “Its… its fine. C’mon. Help me up…”

Both Leon and Sherry, worked in tandem to carefully support Claire, gently lifting her to her feet and helping her walk.

“Warning: Quarantine Procedures are going into Stage 4. Please inset Master Key to disable.”

Claire clicked her tongue, “What the hell is going on? What are these Quarantine procedures?”

Leon shrugged, “Dunno…”

“The Lab is trying to combat an infection.” Sherry explained, “Mom and Dad told me… before…”

“Combat an infection, eh?” Claire’s mind flashed back to G bursting into the lab earlier; Its presence must have triggered the procedures. It was even possible that it could still be in the facility…

Not a great thought.

“Mh-hm” Sherry nodded, “Mom said the Lab was supposed to be smart and that the Quaren… Quaran… The ‘Qurantin’ procedures…. Would do everything to stop the infection…”

“Did she happen to say what the Lab would do?” Leon sounded mildly unsettled.

“Mom said that I should take the escape route, if it happened.”

Claire frowned, “What? Why?”

“Cause…” Sherry paled, “She said… that the Lab would destroy everything inside it…”

There was a dead silence between the three of them.

“Warning: Quarantine Procedures are entering the final stage. Stray Golgotha Contaminant still detected. To eliminate Stray Gologotha Contaminant this facility will self-destruct in 5 minutes.”

“Sherry… Which way to the escape route?”

*

The three of them moved as one; Mostly trying to support Claire’s weight, they moved carefully but quickly, following the instructions Sherry laid out.

“Um… I… I think we take a left here!”

“Okay!”

The exhaustion Claire felt in her bones was still gnawing at her painfully, but the fear of death; Not just her own, lit a hellfire below her and she had no desire to fall into it.

_We’re gonna make it… We’re gonna…_

“It… It should be at the end of this hall!”

The trio took a quick turn and stared at the small set of Elevator doors; Simple, but pristine as if they had never been used.

_Oh, thank everything beautiful in this world…_

Leon quickly pressed the small button and a familiar ding rang out, followed by a soft whir as the Elevator began to move.

Claire felt lighter than she had felt all day; Metaphorically, of course. She glanced down at Sherry, who’s face was practically shining with hope, “We… We’re going to-”

A soft rumble cut her off instantly.

Terror gripped Claire’s heart. She felt Sherry’s hand tighten over her own.

_That sound… No… Not now…_

A dark shadow loomed over the edge of the hallway; An unidentifiable mass that seemed to tremble shift and writhe as if in anger and pain.

_No…_

Claire slowly pushed Sherry behind her, trying the shield the girl with her body, “Sherry…”

“C-Claire…” The girl was trembling; The memories of her capture were still fresh in her mind.

“Sherry… As soon as those doors open you run inside and you close them.”

“N… No… I want you-”

Sherry’s voice was cut off as the shadow lumbered into view; A blob of flesh with thousands of squirming tentacles, each one a different size. A dripping maw with hundreds of thin, sharp teeth was gnashing slowly. That characteristic glowing eye slowly scanned around the hall. Any remnants of humanity were completely gone at this point.

Annette called it her husband at one point; William Birkin…

This wasn’t William Birkin.

This was G; This was a Monster.

G let out a soft growl as it began to inch towards their group; its smaller tentacles were extended forward in their direction, like feelers. It could sense them. It wanted them.

Claire felt her organs flip flop inside her. The panic was terrible. She wanted to scream and run. She wanted to do something other than just stand.

But they only had one exit and they were waiting for it to open.

_Please… Please…_

The tentacles reached forward, lingering in front of them.

_Please…_

Claire felt tears build up in her eyes as the tentacles touched her. The elevator doors were still closed.

G let out a soft growl, as copious amounts of spittle began to leak from its mouth. Then its eye began to shift around; The tentacles stopped squirming wildly, taking on a slower pace. The tentacles began to poke and explore Claire’s belly gently.

_Wha…_

Claire placed her hand over her mouth to stifle any sort of sound. It felt so odd. Damp and cold, but it held the warmth of a living creature. It was unnatural. But there was something else. The ghost of a connection that had been severed; She could feel it and it made her body hot. She knew that G could feel it as well.

_…These were your children after all…_

She felt no regret in the fact that the connection tying her to this monster had been severed. But there was something pitiful about the way those tentacles moved.

The last remnants of humanity in G; The paternal feelings of William Birkin. A man who had been a father, but forgotten it in his transformation.

“Warning: This facility will self-destruct in One Minute.”

Everything after that happened in a blur.

The Elevator door dinged open.

G roared and its tentacles began to shift, ready to grab all of them.

Leon pulled out a gun; The same gun that had made G retreat before.

He and Sherry pulled Claire back into the Elevator.

Leon pulled the trigger.

G roared in pain as the gun once again let out a cloud of mist; Toxic only to it. It quickly retreated back into the hall it came from, while the Elevator slammed closed.

Leon quickly jammed the buttons and the Elevator began to whir softly as it moved to the surface, slowly.

Claire blinked softly as she leaned against the wall before sliding to the floor. Her hand moved, gripped her chest softly.

_We’re… We’re alive…_

Her mind worked slowly, counting down the seconds silently. No one said a word, as if they were all thinking the same thing.

_5…_

_4…_

_3…_

_2…_

_…_

A heavy rumble began to emanate from below the elevator. Claire could feel it shake from the pressure. It was a powerful explosion.

She could feel that ghost of a connection fade away completely, and her body relaxed.

_Its… Its gone…_

She felt a soft pressure on her side; Sherry was snuggling against her.

Claire felt her lips tighten. There was a lot to tell her. About her mother and father… She was an Orphan now. It wouldn’t be an easy recovery. For any of them. She glanced at Leon who was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. They had all been through hell… More than what they could’ve ever bargained for, if they ever wanted to…

_Its not really over… I guess…_

A soft ding popped out from the Elevator speakers and the doors slowly slid open to reveal another room; A small wooden room with a small door in front of them. The three of them carefully walked out of the doors and carefully opened the door.

Outside was nothing. Empty land and clear skies. The sun was rising slowly.

Claire could see Raccoon City; They were on the outskirts. She could see the Military setting up outposts in the distance. They were going to be okay…

She laughed softly and pulled Sherry closer to her. The two of them once again flopped to the ground, but this time, Claire could feel the soft, warm dirt below her. It felt comforting.

“You… You okay?” Leon seemed to be aware of the oddness of the question at the present time, but his conscience clearly made him say it any way.

“Mmm…” Claire nodded softly as one hand gently ruffled Sherry’s hair while the other massaged her sore belly, “…I guess so.”

She blinked and then glanced up at him with a weird grin, “I just realized… I’m gonna have to learn how to be a mom now.”

Leon stared for a few seconds then he let out a soft chuckle.

Claire chuckled with him.

Sherry just kept hugging.

“Looks like your challenges ain’t gonna end for a while…” Leon smirked.

“True…” Claire nodded, “Might as well just rest… for a little while at least.”

THE END


End file.
